Shoe with Detachable and Interchangeable Attachments

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a system and apparatus of shoe with interchangeable and detachable attachments such as heels and soles. Specifically, the invention provides a handy and user-friendly solution for changing the interchangeable soles and heels, and that is capable of providing overall good end-user experience of wearing the shoes. The invention achieves the above function objectives by means of longitudinal bars affixed to soles and heels which are configured to be slided and interlocked forming dovetail joint with longitudinal slots beneath the shoe. The shoe has a lock and release latch mechanism which can secure the sole or heel component from sliding out of the dovetail joint.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 62/894,697 filed on Aug. 31, 2019.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to footwear with interchangeable attachments and in particular, the invention relates to a shoe with detachable and interchangeable heels and platform soles.

BACKGROUND OF THE RELATED ART

The influence of footwear in the fashion industry is enormous however there are comfort and health issues associated with women wearing high heels footwear. Upon wearing such footwear, women often face minor health consequences like foot aches or sole pain. The configuration of high heel footwear is such that it shifts the entire foot weight to the front portion of the foot comprising toe box which further leads to blisters, corns, hammertoes, bunions, and other ailments. Women buy multiple pairs of foot wear to sync their fashion statement with occasion and hence resulting in higher expenses. Lack of storage space is another factor which demands innovation in footwear industry.

Various footwear with interchangeable heels have been found in the prior arts. Such shoes with interchangeable soles are disclosed herein:

Bonnet et al., French Patent Publication No. FR2940018B1 discloses a shoe that has a stripped or non-stripped sole with a heel and a half hose with a protective sole comprising a hole allowing the passage of the heel to position the heel on the stripped or non-stripped sole.

Koehl et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,290A, discloses a high heel shoe with a self-seating removable heel portion includes a shoe body having a sole portion with a toe and a heel area, the heel area being elevated substantially above the toe area so that the shoe sole is inclined between the toe and the heel and at the heel area.

Patent Publication No. WO2019147341A1, discloses a convertible shoe may include a sole and a plurality of interchangeable heel portions, each selectively attachable to the sole. The heel portions may each include a mounting surface configured to interface with a heel receiver of the sole. The heel receiver may include a fixed hook and a movable hook, with the movable hook being operable by an actuator coupled to a bottom surface of the sole.

Lewis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,910A discloses a shoe with an interchangeable heel. The heel can be interchangeably attached to the heel portion of the outsole of the shoe by extending a large bolt through an opening on the rear portion of the outsole, such that it is threadedly engaged with a sleeve permanently mounted within a recess on top of the heel.

Schupbach et al., United States Patent Publication No. US20060075662A1, discloses a shoe that includes a sole member, at least one heel member, a front securing member, and optionally a forward tread member. Each heel member includes a column portion having a predetermined height and a blade portion having a predetermined slope.

In Greece Patent Publication No. GR20130100281A, the detachable heel disclosed herein is composed of: the heel-uniting mechanism adapted to a shoe which is divided into two separate parts susceptible to be united via the base placed underneath the sole; the heel receiver placed on the independent heel to substantially create the spare heel.

Heath-Brimont et al., Patent Publication No. WO2013011213A1, discloses a multi-height shoe for dressing a human foot, comprising an upper, covering the foot, an insole, supporting the bottom of the foot when a step is taken with the shoe, and a shoe heel that raises the heel of the foot to a first height when at a standstill, wherein said shoe heel consists of a lock and a removable heel that is fixed to the lock and can be disconnected from the lock.

However, Heath's invention doesn't solve the problems of inconvenience during replacing heels. In order to unlock and remove the heels from the shoe, one has to press a button or switch inside the shoe while simultaneously pulling the heel out. Over the time, women have found Heath's locking mechanism to be inconvenient since every time they have to find the switch inside the shoe and simultaneously pull the heel out when it is required to be detached or interchanged. Also, Heath's invention does not provide option for detachable and interchangeable footwear sole, hence limits the options to utilize the same footwear in various styles and configurations. The present invention offers more options for styling the same footwear in various configurations.

The present invention aims to provide comfort and style. Keeping a stack of shoes with a variety of designs is difficult when one has to buy footwear for each attire. Interchangeable heels and soles make it easier to buy a single pair of shoes and everything is sorted. The present invention comes with attachments with varying colors, styles and shapes. Besides this, the present invention is an improvement over the existing prior arts in terms of design and easy mechanism to fit in the detachable heels and sole. Additionally, the present invention offers a secured lock and release latch mechanism for keeping the heels and sole affixed to the footwear. Various embodiments of the present invention will be discussed in the sections below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a shoe with interchangeable attachments particularly heels and soles. In an embodiment of the present invention, the shoe comes with an emplacing, locking and releasing mechanisms to attach the heel to its position. The shoe is configured to achieve the task of locking the heels and soles in place effortlessly and without much of a hassle to adjust the heels by tapping the floor or other conventional methods as evident in the prior arts.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the shoe comprises a lock and release latch mechanism that is used to secure the heel and sole when they are slidably disposed off in a set of longitudinal slots.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the latch based lock and release mechanism allows the heel and sole to lock in confinement. The advantage of the invention is the fact that the shoe becomes a dynamic product able to change its appearance when desired.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the invention comprises a kit, more particularly the present invention comprises a shoe with detachable sole and heels of various height, thickness and colors.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the shoe comprises emplacing, locking and releasing mechanisms that assist the user in changing the heels and soles without hassle. It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a secured mechanism for detaching and attaching the heels and soles.

It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a secured mechanism such that a person does not end up injuring her ankle during the changing process.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the shoe comprise of a Button head stud and screw to attach and lock vamp to the heel. The shoe is configured such that the said button head stud and screw facilitates the mechanism of changing the vamp of different shapes, designs and colors without requiring the need of disassembling the high heel shoe.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention. These and other features of the present invention will become fully apparent from the following description or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of the shoe.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of toe box of the shoe.

FIG. 3 illustrates a bottom plan view of the shoe.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the shoe.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the shoe.

FIG. 6 illustrates an enlarged view of the button head stud and screw for fastening vamp to the heel.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exploded view of an embodiment of the shoe.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the shoe.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exploded view of an embodiment of the shoe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art of this disclosure. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well, known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity or clarity.

It will be understood that when a feature or element is referred to as being “on” another feature or element, it can be directly on the other feature or element or intervening features and/or elements may also be present. The words “shoes” and “footwear” have been used interchangeably in the present invention. Although described or shown with respect to one embodiment, the features and elements so described or shown can apply to other embodiments.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

With reference to the use of the words “comprise” or “comprises” or “comprising” in the foregoing description and/or in the following claims, unless the context requires otherwise, those words are used on the basis and clear understanding that they are to be interpreted inclusively, rather than exclusively, and that each of those words is to be so interpreted in construing the foregoing description and the following claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the shoe 100. The shoe 100 comprises a heel 110, heel latch 170, heel longitudinal slots 160, sole 120 and sole longitudinal slots 140. The high heel shoe material comprises of breathable leather technology that imparts the shoe an ability to absorb moisture and humidity, and expel moisture in the form of vapors. The sole 120 comprises of a pair of longitudinal bars 130 on the top of the surface of the sole and a notch 180 within one of the longitudinal bars. The shoe heel 110 comprises of a pair of longitudinal bars 150 on top of the surface of the heel and a notch 190 within one of the longitudinal bars. In an embodiment of the present invention, the heel 110 and sole 120 are configured to have longitudinal bars such that they can slide and lock into the longitudinal slots located beneath the shoe. The longitudinal slot and longitudinal bars are configured and designed such that they form a sliding dovetail joint when the wearer slides the longitudinal bar into the longitudinal slot thus creating a strong interlocking connection.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the heel latch 170 embedded beneath the shoe 100 provides a means for locking the heel 110 to its respective position. Once the longitudinal bars 150 of the heel slide and get interlocked within the longitudinal slots 160 of the heel beneath the shoe, the wearer can slide the relevant latch switch 170 in order to prevent the heel 110 from sliding out of their intended positions. In order to affix the heel 110 in longitudinal slots 160, the relevant latch switch 170 when slided to lock the heel 110, the said latch switch 170 is disposed within the notch 190 of the longitudinal bar 150 of the heel 110, thus preventing the heel 110 from sliding out of the longitudinal slots 160.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the sole latch embedded beneath the shoe 100 provides a means for locking the sole 120 to its respective position. Once the longitudinal bars 130 of the sole slide and get interlocked within the longitudinal slots 140 of the sole beneath the shoe, the wearer can slide the relevant latch switch of the sole in order to prevent the sole 120 from sliding out of their intended positions. In order to affix the sole 120 in longitudinal slots 140, the relevant latch switch of the sole when slided to lock the sole, the said latch switch is disposed within the notch 180 of the longitudinal bar 130 of the sole, thus preventing the sole 120 from sliding out of the longitudinal slots 140. In an embodiment of the present invention, the shoe 100 comprises a living hinge at shank for flexibility to adapt heels of various heights.

FIG. 2 illustrates an enlarged view of the embodiment of toe box portion of the present invention, wherein the shoe 100 comprises a sole 120, sole latch 210, a pair of longitudinal bars 130, a pair of longitudinal slots 140 and a sole notch 180. At the toe box portion of the shoe the inner vamp will comprise of silicone material for softness and comfort. The sole latch 210 is embedded beneath the toe box portion of the shoe 100. Sole latch 210 is configured to act as a locking means for the sole member. The sole has a pair of parallel longitudinal bars 130 on top of the sole 120 and a sole notch 180 within one of the longitudinal bar 130. The sole latch embedded beneath the shoe 100 provides a means for locking the sole 120 to its respective position. Once the longitudinal bars 130 of the sole slid and get interlocked within the longitudinal slots 140 of the sole beneath the shoe 100, the wearer can slide the relevant latch switch of the sole in order to prevent the sole 120 from sliding out of their intended positions. In order to affix the sole 120 in longitudinal slots 140, the relevant latch switch of the sole when slided to lock the sole, the said latch switch is disposed within the notch 180 of the longitudinal bar 130 of the sole, thus preventing the sole 120 from sliding out of the longitudinal slots 140.

In an alternative embodiment, the latches may be embedded on the outsole of the shoe configured to make latches accessible from beneath the shoe.

FIG. 3 illustrates yet another embodiment of the present invention 100 wherein the shoe 100 comprises of heel latch 170, notch 190 and a pair of heel longitudinal slots 160. The heel latch 170 is embedded within the platform of the shoe such that it is configured to work as locking means for the heel attachment. Once the heel slides with its pair of longitudinal bars 150 (refer to FIG. 1) aligned parallel in contact along the longitudinal slots 160, the heel gets interlocked with the shoe forming a sliding dovetail joint making them resistant to being pulled apart. However, in order to avoid attachments sliding out of the dovetail joint, the user has to slide the latch switch 170 accessible beneath the heel portion of the shoe such that it is disposed within the notch 190 of the longitudinal bar of the heel. Thus, the heel latch 170 when slided secures the heel from sliding out of the longitudinal slots 160 thereby improving the robustness of the shoe while maintaining the style.

FIG. 4 illustrates the shoe 100 comprising a sole 120, heel 110, a heel latch 170 and a dovetail joint 410. The said heel latch 170 rests within the notch thus preventing unnecessary sliding of the heel 110 along the longitudinal slots beneath the counter portion of the shoe. The sliding dovetail 410 is assembled by sliding the longitudinal bars into the longitudinal slots. The longitudinal slots are slightly tapered towards the rear of the joint, so that the attachments can be easily slided within the longitudinal slots easily but the joint makes a strong interlocking connection which has a high resistance to being pulled apart.

Consider an embodiment describing the function and use of the above disclosed footwear wherein a woman wearing this high heel shoe wants to interchange/remove the heel of the shoe. In order to interchange or remove she has to slide the latch switch accessible beneath the shoe and unlock the heel attachment. After unlocking she has to slide the heel attachment out of the longitudinal slots present beneath the shoe, thus ending up with the desired configuration. She may emplace another heel of different height, structure, and color, according to her personal preferences. She can also use sole of different height, thickness, color and structure compatible with the heel already emplaced beneath the shoe.

FIG. 5 illustrates yet another embodiment of the shoe 100, comprising heel latch 170, sole latch 210, Button head stud and screw 510 and vamp 520. The said button head stud and screw 510 is configured to lock vamp 520 to the heel. In an embodiment of the present invention, the said button head stud and screw 510 will enable the wearer to interchange vamp 520 on the heel with vamps of different designs, configuration and colors without requiring the need of disassembling the high heeled shoe. One of the ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the button head stud and screw 510 used for the purpose of locking the vamp to the high heeled shoe can be of varying dimensions.

FIG. 6 illustrates an enlarged view of button head stud and screw 510 configured to lock vamp to the heel. The button head stud and screw 510 consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft 620 with a head on one end while the end opposite to the head is called the tail. The rivet 610 when placed in a punched or drilled hole 630, the tail gets bucked or deformed so that it expands to one and half times the original shaft diameter thus holding the rivet in place. It should be readily appreciable by those skilled in the art that the material of the head screw and stud can be brass, bronze, steel etc. Further it should be understandable that the head screw and stud can be of any different designs, configuration and may deploy different fastening mechanisms.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of the shoe 100, wherein the shoe comprise heel 110, sole 120, heel latch 170, sole latch 210, button head stud and screw 510, living hinge 710 and shank 720. The shoe comprises a living hinge 710 beneath the shank 720 for flexibility to adapt heels 110 of various heights. The living hinge 710 is made of flexible material. It should be appreciated by person of ordinary skill in the art that the material can be flexible plywood or flexible polymer.

FIG. 8 illustrates yet another embodiment of the shoe 100, wherein to facilitate better user fitting, a Velcro 810 is provided under the sole of the shoe. The shoe 100 has interchangeable vamp 520 with permanent emplacements of adjustable Velcro 810 under the sole of the shoe to facilitate better user fitting. The holders 820 facilitates attaching of the vamp 520 to the shoe 100. The button head stud and screw 510 fastens the vamp's straps to the sides of the shoe 100. The holders 820 of the sole cap 830 are integrated to the insole 840 of the shoe 100.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exploded view of yet another embodiment of the shoe wherein the holders 820 integrate to the insole 840 of the shoe. This figure also demonstrates an arrangement of the sole cap 830, insole 840 and vamp 520.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the shoe may be provided with an option of crystal sole design. The women's shoe will be provided with detachable and interchangeable heels, of different heights, colors, and thicknesses. The shoe may have alternative placements of the locking and releasing mechanism. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the shoe may be provided with a dual leather-rubber structure for the sole to allow easy angle adjustment to different heights, design, and structure of the heel. The sole and heel provided with this women's shoe will be of different colors and sizes, each having mechanisms for being emplaced, locked and released.

The present invention is directed to ladies accessories with interchangeable portions. Particularly, this invention is a method for obtaining a multi-height shoe offering soles and heels of multiple heights. The essential parts of the invention are its interchangeable attachments and their securing areas which comprise of the sole, heel and latches which provide an easy to implement a mechanism for interchanging the attachments.

While a number of preferred embodiments have been described, it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the shoe and the interchangeable attachments i.e. heels or soles may be configured to slide inside the shoe in the direction opposite to the latch switch. For example, the person may use latitudinal sliding dovetail design facilitating the user to slide the attachments across the length of the shoe. Consider yet another example, the locking mechanism may be present in the inner side of the shoe, instead of outer side as discussed in the specification. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments that the person should be made under the inspiration of this novel utility of the present invention the same or similar technical solution has, fall within the scope of the present invention.

As used herein the term “women's shoe” means a shoe worn by women. The term “interchangeable heels” means heels that can be interchanged easily by inserting a preferred heel type into the shoe base. The term “detachable heel” means a concept that allows the wearer to easily change the heels of a shoe during the day in order to change the height, color, or shape of the heel. The term “height” means the measurement of someone or something from head to foot or from base to top. The term “color” means the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light. The term “thickness” means the distance through an object, as distinct from width to height. The term “locking mechanism” means a device for securing a heel in position when closed, consisting of a bolt or system of bolts propelled or withdrawn by a mechanism operated by a button or switch. The term “releasing mechanism” means allow the heel to escape from confinement or set free. The term “dual leather rubber structure” means an elastic material composed almost of an isoprene polymer obtained from milky sac or latex of various tropical plants. The term “emplacing” means to put into place or position. The term “locking” means fasten or secure with a lock. The term “releasing” means allow or enable to escape from confinement or set free. The term “longitudinal bars” means bars that run across the breadth of the shoe, and are parallelly aligned to the longitudinal slots. The term “longitudinal slot” means a narrow, elongated depression grove, notch, slit or aperture especially a narrow opening for receiving or admitting something such as a longitudinal bar. The term “dove-tail design” means design in which two sides are fitted together with interlocking pieces. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A shoe with variable dimensions of the sole and heel comprising: a pair of parallel longitudinal slots carved beneath the shoe at the toe box and counter portions; a sole comprising a pair of parallel longitudinal bars affixed to the top of the sole configured to slidably dispose in the pair of parallel longitudinal slots beneath the toe box of the shoe; a heel comprising a pair of parallel longitudinal bars affixed to the top of the heel configured to slidably dispose in the pair of parallel longitudinal slots beneath the counter portion of the shoe; a latch as a locking means for the sole and the heel embedded beneath the toe box and the counter portions respectively, wherein each latch is configured to lock the pair of parallel longitudinal bars in the longitudinal slots of the shoe; button head stud and screw attaches and Locks the vamp to the heel.
 2. A shoe with variable dimensions according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal bars of the sole and heel are configured to be slided and interlocked in the said longitudinal slots by a sliding dovetail mechanism.
 3. A shoe with variable dimensions according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal slots are slightly tapered towards the rear of the dovetail joint.
 4. A shoe with variable dimensions according to claim 1, wherein the latch is embedded within the sole.
 5. A shoe with variable dimensions according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of soles and heels provided with the shoe are of varying dimensions.
 6. A shoe with variable dimensions according to claim 3, wherein the longitudinal bars and longitudinal slots form a sliding dovetail interlock.
 7. A shoe with variable dimensions according to claim 5, wherein the latch further comprise a latch switch.
 8. A shoe with variable dimensions according to claim 8, wherein the latch switch locks the sole and heel attachments thereby impeding them from sliding out of the said slots.
 9. A shoe with variable dimensions according to claim 1, wherein the shoe is provided with a dual leather-rubber structure for the sole to allow easy angle adjustment to different heights, design, and structure of the heel.
 10. A shoe with variable dimensions according to claim 1, the shoe may comprise a living hinge at shank for flexibility to adapt heels of various heights.
 11. A shoe with variable dimensions, wherein the shoe and the interchangeable attachments may be configured to slide within the latitudinal slots of the shoe in the direction across the length of the shoe.
 12. A shoe with variable dimensions according to claim 11, wherein the shoe and interchangeable attachments have latitudinal slots and latitudinal bars respectively.
 13. A shoe with variable dimensions according to claim 1, wherein the shoe is configured such that the said button head stud and screw facilitates the mechanism of changing the vamp of different shapes, designs and colors without requiring the need of disassembling shoe.
 14. A shoe with variable dimensions wherein a. the shoe has interchangeable vamp with permanent emplacements of adjustable Velcro under the sole of the shoe; b. the holders of the sole cap facilitates attaching of the vamp to the insole of the shoe; c. the screw fastens the vamp straps to the insole of the shoe.
 15. A shoe with variable dimensions according the claim 14, wherein the adjustable Velcro under the sole of the shoe facilitates better user fitting. 